First Corvette Pedal Car?

Corvette Pedal Car: By Al Hillbr

This is the only known Corvette Pedal Car built by Harley Earl outside of GM. Were others built inside GM? Nobody seems to know the answer.

The car was constructed by industrial designer Clair Samhammer at Harley Earl Incorporated in Warren, Michigan, between 1953 and 1954. Samhammer supervised the construction and worked hands-on with a four-person team. Building the car took approximately three months but was not a full-time effort. The estimated cost of construction was $15,200—equivalent to about $106,000 today. For comparison, a real 1953 Corvette cost only $3,734.55.

Why Was the Pedal Car Built?

According to those involved, the pedal car was created to boost initially slow Corvette sales. The idea was to sell the pedal cars to Corvette dealerships as an incentive for selling Corvettes or as promotional items. This pedal car may have been the catalyst for toy cars at GM, although there is no corroborative documentation.

The car, built under Harley Earl’s direction, was designed to carry a child driver and passenger. Only one car was built.

Specifications

Scale: 1:3
Body: Hand-laid fiberglass
Construction:

The clay model was scaled from GM-supplied body loftings.
Trim was scaled from original full-size trim, made in brass, and fabricated using 3D processes based on GM originals.
Stiller Brothers in Royal Oak, Michigan, machined the trim and hubcaps, although Lyon Incorporated may have made the hubcaps.
All trim, nuts, bolts, screws, and washers were made of brass to avoid corrosion from dissimilar metals.
Headlights were non-functional but designed to appear operational.
Original colors: Polo White exterior and dash, with a red underside.

Weight:

Original: 150 lbs
Restored: 100 lbs (cause of weight reduction unknown)

Tires: Goodyear Diamond Tread, 10x2.75, with whitewalls.

Emblems:

Hood and horn emblems were originally made using SEE-DEEP techniques.
Restored emblems are laser-engraved on clear acrylic.

Dimensions:

Length: 64.5 inches (168 cm)
Width: 29 inches (75 cm)
Height (to top of door): 13.5 inches (35 cm)
Height (to top of windshield): 19.5 inches (51 cm)
Height (to top of steering wheel): 21 inches (55 cm)
Axle-to-axle distance: 38 inches (99 cm)

Historical Context

The car was owned by George A. Lyon I and later by George A. Lyon II in Birmingham, Michigan. Photographs of the finished car feature Craig and Gary Hughes, sons of Harley Earl Incorporated designer Bob Hughes.

Years later, the car was rediscovered in an old carriage house in Michigan. After being strapped to a junkman’s truck, it was sold at the Saline Swap Meet in Ann Arbor on April 28, 2002, and resold on eBay on May 5, 2002.

Restoration

The car’s chassis was recreated based on original references. Pedal cars with two side-by-side seating arrangements are extremely rare. Restoration took approximately 500 hours and spanned from May 15, 2002, to May 12, 2003.